Stagecoach employees dress as their favourite Christmas helper for charity

27 Nov 2017

SANTA SWAPS HIS SLEIGH FOR A STAGECOACH IN OXFORDSHIRE BUS

PIctured: Mandy Gillmore, Paul Rouse and Tony Pomroy

Bus drivers dress up to raise money for Helen & Douglas House

Charity day supports the charity’s annual Santa Run that takes place 10 Dec

Passengers could win a month’s free bus travel as part of charity day

Elves, Rudolph, a snowman and even Santa himself will be spotted driving buses next week as a group of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire employees take part in a fancy dress day in aid of Helen & Douglas House.
Drivers from Oxford, Witney and Banbury will be on the bus dressed as their favourite Christmas helper on Friday 1 December from 4am, when the first shift begins. The charity day aims to raise money for the local children’s and young adults’ hospice based in Cowley, and raise awareness of the charity’s Santa Run, which takes place on Sunday, 10 December, as registration at www.hdh.org.uk ends on 8 December.
In its third year of supporting the charity, Stagecoach drivers will be donating money to take part in the event and passengers are invited to donate via text, if they spot one of the festive helpers on the bus.
Tony Pomroy, one of the Stagecoach in Oxfordshire drivers taking part, who lives in Abingdon said: “We might be dressing up as festive heroes today but the staff, families and patients at Helen & Douglas House are heroes every single day and this is just a fun and festive way of raising money to say thank you to them.
“Seeing Santa swap his sleigh for a bus isn’t something you see everyday! It’ll be great to see elves and other festive characters get in the driving seat of Oxfordshire’s Stagecoach buses and we hope by doing so we’re not only raising money for the hospice but also helping to raise awareness of Helen & Douglas House’s annual Santa Run event."

Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is also inviting passengers take part in a social media competition by tweeting in pictures of the festive helpers they have spotted to @stagecoach_ox using the hashtag #xmasonabus. The winning tweet, picked at random, will win a month's free travel on board the Stagecoach buses in Oxford.

All entries must be received via twitter before midnight on Friday 1st December 2017. The winner will be announced and notified via Twitter on Monday 4th December 2017.

Lucy Walker, Community Fundraiser, Helen & Douglas House, says: “We are reliant on voluntary donations to raise the £5 million we need every year to run the hospice service. The support of companies such as Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is invaluable to us.

“At Helen & Douglas House we try to make Christmas a special time for our young patients and their families, so that they can create happy memories together. We are delighted that Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is dressing up to raise funds and awareness for the charity. We wish the drivers the best of luck for the day and look forward to seeing Santa and his helpers on the daily commute! ”
To help the festive helpers raise lots of money for Helen & Douglas House text BUUS57 followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70070. All proceeds go the Helen & Douglas House.